This guy may not look too tough, but don't let his cute looks fool you! Once he and his friends show up you're in for a pretty lousy time. Learn about his weaknesses so you can avoid unwanted encounters. Unique sympathy gift for a sick person and an educational way to say get well soon and feel better.

FACTS: The flu, a.k.a. influenza is a respiratory infection caused by strains of orthomyxoviridae. The word "influenza" comes from the Italian word for influence – back when the stars were thought to influence the start of an epidemic!

Every year 5% - 40% of the population gets the flu. Fortunately, most people recover completely in a couple of weeks. Even more, fortunately, since there are only about a dozen different flu viruses, vaccines have been developed that can be up to 90% effective in preventing infection in the first place.

These vaccines, or "flu shots," are best taken in the fall before the flu season starts, since it can take several weeks for them to become fully effective. (However, since eggs are used to make the vaccines, people who are allergic to eggs should not get the shots.)

In 1918, before there were any vaccines, there was a worldwide pandemic of Spanish flu. Twenty million people were killed. Maybe today we should thank our lucky stars for the vaccines!